First time NGI has received arts funding for its children and young people's event

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A parade at Baltic square Gateshead to mark the end of the the Juice festival 2013.

NewcastleGateshead Initiative will be among those to benefit from a new round of funding from the Arts Council.

The organisation - which aims to promote the area as a world-class place to live in, work in and visit - will receive £300,000 over the next three years to support its well-known Juice festival for children and young people.

The support is coming through the Arts Council’s National Portfolio funding programme, which was officially launched in April 2012.

Carol Bell, head of culture & major events at NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “We are delighted to have secured NPO status for Juice Festival, NewcastleGateshead’s festival for children and young people.

“Juice’s vision is to be the leading children and young people’s arts and cultural festival in the UK and Europe.

“NPO status will enable us to continue to pursue this ambition and to really establish Juice as a festival of national and international significance, building on the great work delivered over the past seven years.”

She added that at a time of reduced public funding for the arts, the announcement demonstrated Arts Council England’s confidence in both the festival’s track record and its future potential.

“Having this three year support allows us to plan more effectively and develop work over a longer period of time,” she said.

“It also provides confidence to other potential funders, supporters and collaborators.

“The festival’s success to date is undoubtedly thanks to the commitment and support of a wide range of partners, including NGCV, as well as the expertise and dedication of Rachel Adam and Claire Newton, the creative team who really shaped Juice from the outset. Thank you to all.

“We’re very much looking forward to Juice 2014, which is being developed with award-winning author David Almond as artistic advisor – and we can now also start to plan for ambitious new work and projects for the years ahead.”